The Corporate Couch: Work Stories I Only Tell My Friends

You will learn and laugh while listening to my conversation with Heidi Lehmann (see her bio below). We talk about how she compares art to creating a startup company ("Making the Strange Familiar and the Familiar Strange), selling her first company to AOL for $105 million, why she uses the "3 Es" (Entrepreneurship, Energy, and Enthusiasm) to make career decisions, her goal to make Kansas City an innovation destination via blockchain (she co-founded the KC Futures DAO), co-producing the BET (later acquired by Viacom/CBS) series "Queen Boss" (8-episode series that strives to find the best and brightest African-American female entrepreneurs and have them compete for the business opportunity of a lifetime.), explain blockchain technology to the average person, why female (especially African- American) entrepreneurs have a hard to obtaining funding for their startup (females entrepreneurs only receive 2% of all venture capital funding), and how she likes her martinis :-) We also have a few celebrity references when she was in the entertainment industry in her first job post-college. The list includes Gus Van Sant, Melissa Etheridge, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Bethenny Frankel (she was also a "seat warmer" at the Oscars one year). Please enjoy my conversation with Heidi!   Today's episode is brought to you by ExecHQ (Website), a C-suite fractional firm providing elite executives for your business. If you’re having challenges taking your business to the next level, want to augment your leadership team, or prepare your company for increased growth, profitability, and an eventual successful exit, ExecHQ has seasoned executives from every C-suite position, ensuring a perfect fit for your needs and industry dynamics. To learn more about ExecHQ, email Jeff Pelaccio at jeff.pelaccio@exechq.com.    Heidi's bio: Heidi E. Lehmann (LinkedIn) is a seasoned investor, board member, and five-time startup founder leading high-impact global tech deals. As Strategic Director at Ligo Partners, a Miami and New York-based family office, she collaborates with Family Offices worldwide to source investments in cutting-edge startups, venture funds, and real estate, contributing to $455M deployed across 80 companies since 2022. With over 20 years of experience, Heidi has co-founded and scaled venture-backed companies like Kenzen (industrial IoT, $30M raised) and Third Screen Media (mobile ad tech, acquired by AOL for $105M). She advises startup CEOs and holds board and advisory roles with Workplace Healing, Glasswing VC, and Gaingels Syndicate. Heidi co-founded the KC Future’s DAO, driving innovation in Kansas City through blockchain technology, and serves as a Business Advisor to Critical Materials Crossroads, a coalition of investors, innovators, and legislators focused on the energy transition. She also co-produced the media franchise "Queen Boss" (acquired by Viacom/CBS). Featured in Forbes, WSJ, NYT, and more, Heidi is a sought-after speaker and panelist at top conferences like SXSW, Mobile World Congress, and the National NGLCC Conference.

Honored to have the co-author of one of my favorite books "The Go-Giver" Bob Burg (see his bio below) as our guest on this episode. We chat about his early career, how he became a public speaker, how a "drive-by" mentor changed his sales philosophy and became a key part of the book, a summary of the five laws of stratospheric success, why no one cares about your quota or product, how focusing on adding value to others leads to success, why givers attract, learning systems to be successful, and why your first question for a business endeavor should not be "will it make money?". You will enjoy my conversation with the legendary Bob Burg!   Today's episode is brought to you by ExecHQ (Website), a C-suite fractional firm providing elite executives for your business. If you’re having challenges taking your business to the next level, want to augment your leadership team, or prepare your company for increased growth, profitability, and an eventual successful exit, ExecHQ has seasoned executives from every C-suite position, ensuring a perfect fit for your needs and industry dynamics. To learn more about ExecHQ, email Jeff Pelaccio at jeff.pelaccio@exechq.com.    Bob's bio: For more than 30 years Bob Burg (The Go Giver) has been successfully showing entrepreneurs, leaders, and sales professionals how to build relationships, communicate their value, and accelerate their business growth. Although for years he was best known for his sales classic, Endless Referrals, it’s his business parable, The Go-Giver, coauthored with John David Mann, that has created a worldwide movement. While part of a four-book series, The Go-Giver itself has sold well over a million copies and been translated into 30 languages. It was rated #10 on Inc. Magazine’s list of The Most Motivational Books Ever Written, and was on HubSpot’s 20 Most Highly Rated Sales Books of All Time. Bob is creator of The Go-Giver Academy online learning portal featuring The Go-Giver® Success Vault which includes all of his online courses as well as additional business-building resources. He also publishes the very popular Daily Impact email. Both of these can be accessed at his website, which is (burg.com) Website. Bob is an advocate, supporter, and defender of the Free Enterprise system, believing that the amount of money one makes is directly proportional to how many people they serve. He is also an unapologetic animal fanatic and serves as part of a South Florida rescue, foster, and adoption organization.

In our first conversation with someone born in the Netherlands, you will learn and laugh listening to Michel Koopman  (see his bio below). We chat about his great career and discuss why senior leaders (especially C-Suite executives)  should approach their careers like athletes, how being process-driven accelerates start-up business growth, how being transparent while being mindful is a great communication approach, why top performers are hesitant to pursue their development, his first paid internship in Hong Kong (it involves waking up the next morning in a taxi after a business dinner :-), how a major surgery at 34-years old changed his career path, why he worked for free, the difficulty he had landing a job post-college (and his major decision to go to the United States for college), and common misconceptions of people of Dutch descent.  Please enjoy my conversation with Michel!   Today's episode is brought to you by ExecHQ (Website), a C-suite fractional firm providing elite executives for your business. If you’re having challenges taking your business to the next level, want to augment your leadership team, or prepare your company for increased growth, profitability, and an eventual successful exit, ExecHQ has seasoned executives from every C-suite position, ensuring a perfect fit for your needs and industry dynamics. To learn more about ExecHQ, email Jeff Pelaccio at jeff.pelaccio@exechq.com.    Michels's bio: Michel​ Koopman (LinkedIn) is CxO Coaching’s Chief Executive Coach and Founder. He is a senior operator and entrepreneur with a mix of small business and corporate successes in a global capacity. At this stage, he is most passionate about maximizing the business success and potential of others. He and his team dedicate their time as growth advisors and executive coaches to high-performing business executives.​ His current and past roles include Founder and CEO at 2Swell, Co-Founding Partner at Bond Growth, CCO at Banyan Medical, CEO at getAbstract, Inc, Executive Chairman & President at ARMS Medical, Managing Director at Citrix Systems, plus a number of other prior roles, board and advisory positions. He is a servant leader focused on growing companies by delivering new go-to-market strategies and elevating teams to perform at their full potential.​ Michel is a passionate business writer, a Forbes Business Council Member, and has published over 80 articles in premier media outlets including Forbes, The Washington Post, Strategy Magazine, Fast Company, The Miami Herald, and more. He is married and a proud father of two, with a love for nature, snowboarding, motorcycles, and fine watches. While he grew up in the Netherlands, he currently lives in Florida and North Carolina and is an avid traveler.

A fun and insightful conversation with Jamie Crosbie (see her bio below)! Jamie and I talk about the life/leadership lessons from her legendary mom, knowing that she wanted to start a company at an early age, her first public speech at 15 years old in front of 500 people, her first professional job leading a group of accounting clerks (and her story of regularly falling asleep at her desk :-), how to interview salespeople, why a positive mindset is so important, why failure is the path to growth, her preparation process for her upcoming Ted Talk, how having a career strategy prepared her to create her own company, and why you should be comfortable with the uncomfortable. Please enjoy my conversation with Jamie!   Today's episode is brought to you by ExecHQ (Website), a C-suite fractional firm providing elite executives for your business. If you’re having challenges taking your business to the next level, want to augment your leadership team, or prepare your company for increased growth, profitability, and an eventual successful exit, ExecHQ has seasoned executives from every C-suite position, ensuring a perfect fit for your needs and industry dynamics. To learn more about ExecHQ, email Jeff Pelaccio at jeff.pelaccio@exechq.com.      Jamie's bio:  An accomplished senior executive with more than two decades of success across sales, sales leadership, talent acquisition, and management, Jamie Crosbie ​(Website) is an inspiring and powerful trainer and speaker. Jamie understands the complex interplay of strategic scale growth, lead generation, client communication, market analysis, strategic sales, and business development; because she has been there, in sales management, talent recruitment and training trenches. Jamie’s company consults in top sales talent acquisition; strategic planning and executive leadership; business development strategy; and Peak Performance Mindset® Workshops. Having served as Vice President of Training and Development and Sales at Career Builder, as well as being the founder of ProActivate, an elite sales staffing company, Jamie understands how to motivate, shape and lead successful teams. Jamie was responsible for leading 50-85% annual revenue growth with oversight of an 80-person sales team while managing $35MM operations; driving top sales training, development, and productivity for half of enterprise’s U.S. sales organization; defining, assessing, profiling, and acquiring targeted best talent for domestic and international sales organizations. Jamie is the author of Journey to the Top: How to Reach Your Peak Performance Life, The Power of 2, Exponential Sales Leadership and How To Source, Qualify; Hire Elite Sales Talent. As a certified speaker with the High-Performance Mindset® system, Jamie understands how to leverage her extensive experience to help your team go higher and accomplish more. She has been conducting Business Development and Peak Performance Mindset Keynotes and Workshops nationally for companies like Armstrong Relocation Services, Southwest Airlines, EO, Encompass Home Health, MidCo, TPX, Santander, EBSCO Research, and Free Range Concepts. Post-Workshop evaluations have proven that these companies set new sales records, collaborated more effectively, and embraced a more focused and positive sales environment. Simply put, Jamie teaches everyday people to live uncommonly successful lives. Whether you are seeking individual coaching to improve your focus, live more fully, or achieve your goals, or you are looking for ways to inspire and empower your team, you owe it to yourself to learn from this revolutionary mindset workshop. When it comes to selling, you need to be able to connect with clients on a human level, while still showing them how your product solves a problem in their world. Jamie is an acknowledged expert in this area. She has the ability to transfer her skill set, her passion, and her sales knowledge to others via team workshops that work.

You will enjoy the conversation with the bold and fearless Melea McRae(see her bio below). Melea and I discussed the following: how she navigated being the only female executive at a company, knowing she wanted to be an entrepreneur at an early age (when she was 10 years old she dressed as a "business owner" for Halloween), her advice to female entrepreneurs, finding career success as an intrapreneur, the impact of her mom dying when she was very young, how a palm reader in NYC predicted her future, her roles models (including Murphy Brown), working for Nordstrom's after the company she worked for folded but never receiving a paycheck, how she owned being a "job hopper" when the practice was frowned upon, how the Adam Grant book "The Originals" crystallized her career focus, her work advice to single moms after a divorce, and how she manages her different roles while being heavily involved in the community. Enjoy learning and laughing during my conversation with Melea!   Today's episode is brought to you by ExecHQ (Website), a C-suite fractional firm providing elite executives for your business. If you’re having challenges taking your business to the next level, want to augment your leadership team, or prepare your company for increased growth, profitability, and an eventual successful exit, ExecHQ has seasoned executives from every C-suite position, ensuring a perfect fit for your needs and industry dynamics. To learn more about ExecHQ, email Jeff Pelaccio at jeff.pelaccio@exechq.com.    Melea's bio:  Melea ​McRae (LinkedIn) is an entrepreneur, marketing strategist, business connector, and adjunct professor with 30 years of experience elevating brands, amplifying missions, and fueling business growth for B2B and B2C clients. In 2016, Melea made the entrepreneurial leap and founded Crux KC, a fast-growing WBE headquartered in KC. Known as the “un-agency,” Crux is a full-funnel outsourced marketing solution customized for organizations of all shapes, sizes, and verticals, combining the expertise of fractional CMOs who build the marketing strategy with a deep bench of experts in each marketing discipline to deliver on that strategy.

This conversation with Sonya Jury (see her bio below) tugged at my heartstrings as one of our topics was her journey during her mom's Alzheimer's illness (my dad had early onset Alzheimer's when I was about 10 years old). Sonya wrote a book to help others through their parents' journey (or other loved ones) called - "Mom Forget My Birthday: A Daughter's Journey Through Alzheimer's".  We chat about many things including her career pivot from architect to business consultant/author, how getting fired led to her current career, her advice for picking a college major, the importance of having a coach (especially for young leaders, why entrepreneurs should embrace "job carving", and why you should work for three different sized companies. Sonya gives some great book recommendations also: "Who Not How", "The Psychological Safety Playbook, Selling Boldly, and the one that has had the most impact on her - Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential and How You Can Achieve Yours. I know you will enjoy my conversation with Sonya.   Today's episode is brought to you by ExecHQ (Website), a C-suite fractional firm providing elite executives for your business. If you’re having challenges taking your business to the next level, want to augment your leadership team, or prepare your company for increased growth, profitability, and an eventual successful exit, ExecHQ has seasoned executives from every C-suite position, ensuring a perfect fit for your needs and industry dynamics. To learn more about ExecHQ, email Jeff Pelaccio at jeff.pelaccio@exechq.com.      Sonya's bio: With an uncanny ability to see the big picture formulate, Sonya Jury, AIA is ​(https://www.businesssherpa.org/ ) parlaying her years of business design acumen into following her passion – helping others achieve success.  Using simple, proven tools aligned with a proven process, she works with Leadership Teams to design a vision, execute that vision, and live a better life. Her passion is to coach, teach, and facilitate leadership teams to be free from the frustrations of running their business with a focus. 

Here's an interview with someone I "knew" as a teenager the humble, servant leader Wayne Simien (see his bio below) from his early athletic success as a McDonald's All-American (recognizes the top 25 high school basketball players in the United States) and winning the 2006 NBA Championship to his current role as the associate athlete director of engagement and leadership at the University of Kansas. His leadership lessons from Hall of Famers like Pat Riley, Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Roy Williams, and Bill Self, his journey to becoming a Christian at 20 years old when he was feeling broken and empty, why he wanted to emulate his father, the most important ring he ever received (it's not the one you think), his fitness goals/routine (some of it involves his 5 kids), why he changed his initial college major from Points, Rebounds, and Winning to Sociology. You will enjoy his stories about working out in a urine-smelling stairwell with needles at his feet (drawing comparisons to Rocky Balboa in Rocky III). We also answer important questions such as - Who eats hot wings better - Shaq or Wayne and Do McDonald's All Americans eat free for the rest of their lives :-). Please enjoy my conversation with Wayne!   Today's episode is brought to you by ExecHQ (Website), a C-suite fractional firm providing elite executives for your business. If you’re having challenges taking your business to the next level, want to augment your leadership team, or prepare your company for increased growth, profitability, and an eventual successful exit, ExecHQ has seasoned executives from every C-suite position, ensuring a perfect fit for your needs and industry dynamics. To learn more about ExecHQ, email Jeff Pelaccio at jeff.pelaccio@exechq.com.      Wayne's bio: Wayne Simien​ (www.waynesimien.com), born and raised in Leavenworth, KS, grew up in a hardworking family with both parents employed at Hallmark Cards. Excelling in basketball, he was part of a 6A State Championship team and a McDonald's High School All-American. Simien attended the University of Kansas, graduating with a degree in sociology in 2005. During his collegiate career, he played under Hall of Fame coaches Roy Williams and Bill Self, participated in two Final Fours, won three Big 12 Championships, and was named Big 12 Player of the Year and First Team Consensus All-American. His jersey hangs in the Allen Fieldhouse rafters. In 2003, he became a Christian, a transformative experience. Drafted in the first round by the Miami Heat, he won an NBA Championship under coach Pat Riley and concluded his professional career in Spain.​ From 2009 to 2021, Simien served as a Christian campus minister at KU and across the Midwest, focusing on mentorship, preaching, and leading mission trips. He currently resides in Lawrence, KS, working as the Associate Athletics Director of Engagement at KU. In this role, he is involved in leadership development, fundraising, and supporting former athletes through K-Club. Married to his wife Katie for 16 years, they have five children. Simien is also an elder at Morning Star Church and enjoys coaching his kids, fishing, hunting, and golf.

Not only does Robert "Abe" Abrams (see his bio below) have an extensive Wikipedia page but so does his father (who also has a US Army tank named after him). I was honored to have Abe as a guest. We talk about his love for being a tactical leader (leading combat troops in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan during multiple combat tours spanning Operation Desert Shield/Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom), what it is like being in combat, how the death of his father at 14 years old impacted him, how he successfully retired as a 4-Star Army General after 39 years, overcoming being a "raging introvert" to lead organizations over 1 million people, how to retire successfully (it involves sprinting through the "retirement" tape), what is a military leader's sacred responsibility, and working for a world-class a$$ chewer. This episode has many leadership lessons so get ready to learn (and laugh)! Today's episode is brought to you by ExecHQ (Website), a C-suite fractional firm providing elite executives for your business. If you’re having challenges taking your business to the next level, want to augment your leadership team, or prepare your company for increased growth, profitability, and an eventual successful exit, ExecHQ has seasoned executives from every C-suite position, ensuring a perfect fit for your needs and industry dynamics. To learn more about ExecHQ, email Jeff Pelaccio at jeff.pelaccio@exechq.com.      Abe's bio: Over a 39-year career of active duty service, General (R) Robert B. “Abe” Abrams​ (Wikipedia) led troops in peace and war. Following his commissioning from theUnited States Military Academy in 1982, he spent his formative years in a Cavalry Squadron with a mission on the E-W German border during the cold war, lead combat troops i​n Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan during multiple combat tours spanning Operation Desert Shield/Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He was the Senior Military Assistant to the 24th Secretary of Defense. He commanded with distinction at every level from Company to 4-star Major Command including command of the Army’s and DOD’s largest formation, US Army Forces Command, with over 750K soldiers and DA Civilians across all 3 components for over 3 years. His final assignment was as the Commander United Nations Command, the ROK-US Combined Forces Command and US Forces Korea from 2018-2021. Since retiring, Abe serves as a Board Director for Vistage International; as a board director for the Bob Woodruff Foundation; as a senior Board Advisor for VAYA Space; as a member of the Board of Business Executives for Gridiron Capital; as a consultant for several companies; and is the Vice Chairman of the Korea Defense Veteran’s Association, a 501(c) non-profit. Abe speaks publicly on leadership and Korean Peninsula affairs, and is a military contributor to ABC News. Happily married, he and his wife are proud parents of two children and grandparents to two grandchildren. They moved to a small farm in western Missouri following retirement. The Abrams have a Golden Retriever named “Hank” and adopted an abandoned orange tabby named “Fred”. Abe is a functional fitness enthusiast who also enjoys golf, follows college basketball closely, and gets March Madness annually. He remains an ever-optimistic fan of Army Football and has been recently converted to a fan of the KC Chiefs.  

You will not find many executives talking about leading with love, vulnerability, and transparency but you will in this episode with Michael Sommers (see his bio below). We talk about his drive at an early age to be a servant leader and strive for greatness, the three signs of a miserable job, how his parents' divorce impacted his leadership journey, the "formula" that justifies his leading with love, and how he operationalized transparency at his company. You will love this episode with Michael!   Today's episode is brought to you by ExecHQ (Website), a C-suite fractional firm providing elite executives for your business. If you’re having challenges taking your business to the next level, want to augment your leadership team, or prepare your company for increased growth, profitability, and an eventual successful exit, ExecHQ has seasoned executives from every C-suite position, ensuring a perfect fit for your needs and industry dynamics. To learn more about ExecHQ, email Jeff Pelaccio at jeff.pelaccio@exechq.com.      Michael's bio: Michael ​Sommers (LinkedIn) brings three decades of expertise in people strategy and organizational performance, serving startups to Fortune 1000 companies. Studied management at UCM, and was raised on a Kansas farm, he knows hard work and resilience.​ His business journey begins with his family building a large national company and includes him taking his own path to grow and sell a high-growth multi-million-dollar company by age 28, both fueling his passion for leadership excellence. Over 25 years, he grew four more multi-million-dollar ventures and drove a global turnaround resulting in the successful nine-figure exit, all of which allowed him to collaborate closely with, study, and learn from countless high-profile world-class executives. A devout Christian and self-professed “leadership junkie,” Michael finds joy in family time and discussing leadership intricacies with anyone interested.​ Michael and his wife Jane married in 1996, and call Lee’s Summit, MO home, where they cherish their family bond. With two grown children and grandchildren, their love forms the foundation of their life together. He has also enjoyed the past 18 years serving the homeless community, but fishing with their grandkids brings a joy all its own.

Get ready to saddle up your horse in this episode with Zach Arend (see his bio below). His life and career journey is one you will not want to miss. Zach and I discuss: How he was demoted from the vice president of sales of a $300 million company to an account executive (and the major impact it had on his life); his journey from 11 to 18 years old to become a bronc riding champion, his early leadership lessons while still in college working for UPS and leading a team of 16 (when he knew "everything"), his unique approach to making leaders better to help cure the "boreout" pandemic at work, and why it's better to let things happen versus making things happen. Please enjoy my conversation with Zach!   Today's episode is brought to you by ExecHQ (Website), a C-suite fractional firm providing elite executives for your business. If you’re having challenges taking your business to the next level, want to augment your leadership team, or prepare your company for increased growth, profitability, and an eventual successful exit, ExecHQ has seasoned executives from every C-suite position, ensuring a perfect fit for your needs and industry dynamics. To learn more about ExecHQ, email Jeff Pelaccio at jeff.pelaccio@exechq.com.      Zach's bio: Zach Arend (LinkedIn)  was raised in a small town in Nebraska, Zach grew up in an entrepreneurial family working at his parents' grocery store. At 10, he learned what it takes to become great at what you do.​ At 11 years old, Zach was riding in the rodeo. By age 18, he was 2x Saddle Bronc Riding Champion.  He often says, "Everything I needed to know about leadership, I learned in the rodeo arena."​ Zach's professional achievements include: Former 2X Saddle Bronc Riding Champion; TEDx Speaker 2024 - Saddle Your Own Horse™; Coached, consulted, and facilitated 180+ leadership sessions; Trainer to hundreds of managers and their executive teams Former VP of Sales for a $300 million logistics company; ​​Developed and ​led team of 50+ sales professionals; Certified Professional Coach (CPC); Energy Leadership Index - Master Practitioner (ELI-MP)